#muchara

[whynotwriting]

Worldbuilding for beginners: Science and Magic

OK, so this will aim to outline what you should consider when adding these factors to your world. There will be questions, and some examples from my main WIPs.

 Let's begin!

 Questions

 How advanced is the technology? Is there Internet? WiFi? Power? Have engines been developed?

 Are there special substances that react differently to real world ones?

 Does everyone have magic? Is it abused?

 What are the tolls of using magic? Energy drainage? Decreased lifespan?

 What problems did magic and technology cause? Do people like them?

 Do animals have magic?

 If you have different races, do they have specific magics?

 Do some regions have more advanced technology than others? Is there bitterness about this? Sabotage?

 What is the driving force behind technological advancement? Exploration? War?

 Have they managed to explore beyond their continent? Out of the planet?

 Is the tech for convenience, or essential for survival?

 How powerful is the magic? Is there a magical language? Symbols?

 What are the rules that dictate how the magic can be used?

 Can you instinctively use magic, or do you have to be taught?

What is the source of the magic? 

Examples in my world

 In my world, electricity is on the way, but nothing like the Internet yet. Engines are another work in progress.

 There is a substance called the Alchemist's Ruby which enhances magic, but will fuse to any creature capable of magic (but not antimagic). It will then spread into it consumes their whole body, their magic steadily growing stronger into their eventual death.

In my world everyone has magic. It is divided into six categories, plus anomalies. The categories are Traveller, Walker, Elemental, Engineer, Scribe and Morpher. I'll try to keep it brief for each. There are two or three types for each major category. I'll stick with two for the moment.

 Traveller: 1) Can slow or speed up time in small areas. 2) Has inhumanly fast reaction times and can move fast enough to outrun an arrow 

Walker: 1) Can walk into a separate dimension through places where three or more shadows overlap and exit at a similar location 2) Can walk through mirrors in much the same way as the shadow walkers 

Elementals: 1) Can control fire, water, air and earth. 2) Can control cold, plants, void and lightning 

Engineers: 1) Can create a bubble dimension to change the macroscopic structure of anything placed inside it 2) Can edit the chemical structure of stuff put inside their bubble dimension 

Scribe: 1) Can cancel out magic in the direction they aim 2) Probably the most complicated. Can carry any spell using runes. The spell is as powerful /lasts as long as it took to write, or can be linked to a creature's life force to make it last /more powerful

Morpher: 1) Can harden their skin and toughen their bones 2) can morph into one animal besides their normal form

And yes, magic is very much abused.

All magic drains energy and will drain life force if energy is used up. 

Wars have been fought over magic, with magic, and some magic types are discriminated against.

Animals don't have magic, but some have antimagic. These animals are known a glyphoids.

Different races have different magic. The above magics apply to humans. Elves have plant magic and some other minor elemental strengths, Dragons can manipulate fire and mirror /shadow walk, Dwarves are engineers and geomancers, Void Wyrms can project a false image of themselves and manipulate void, Mer can shake shift between four forms and use water, Sand Serpents can slow time and manipulate air. Primals have unique magic, normally based on their old races magic. 

The Nau Empire probably had the most advanced tech. That is followed by Gemretha. Montgart tries to sabotage Gemretha on a regular basis.

War is the main driving force behind tech development. 

A large majority of the tech is for convenience, to ease the lives of the upper classes.

Magic varies in how powerful it is. Only Primal magic can really have a worldwide impact. 

There is little to no exploration beyond the continent. Those from the Nau Empire who left the continent to escape have not returned. Take that how you like.

There is a magical language, as used by scribes in conjunction with the symbols. There are quite strict rules, but I won't get into them now.

Magic can be instinctive, but rarely. Most need to be taught to use their power.

Types of magic are linked to the number of pairs of Primals in the world, except for anomalies. Their magic is caused by being exposed to a highly magical environment while their magic is developing.

And that will do for this post! Hope it's helpful!

[whynotwriting]

My Creatures: the Draka

The Draka are one of my more original ideas for species, or at least I like to think so. Here's bit of information on them.

The Draka live in hives, much like bees. Instead of nectar to make honey, though, they collect metal to form intricate shapes, mostly cubic in nature. Those that have seen these and lived have various theories on the reasoning behind them, though most 'experts' think they are pointless. The truth is hotly debated, mostly by those frequently raided by the Draka for their metal.

The Draka are split into four varieties, with minor differences between individuals of each type. The types themselves could not be more different.

Each hive is led by a queen, a gargantuan grub-like creature that can spew lava from glands along its body and the same from its mouth. We only know this from educated guesses based on the charred remains of corpses, because no one had ever survived an encounter with a Draka queen.

Next are the nurses. They care for the larvae, and appear similar to dragons. Their form is more insectile, however, with chitinous plates running the length of their bodies. Their wings are also transparent like those of bees, and they have two pairs. They can lay eggs, though only the Queen can produce more Queens.

Next are the larvae. While not technically a variety, they appear different enough to the others to mention. They are, in appearance, similar to huge serpents, the height of a man in length, sometimes longer. Their scales are coppery and glow red hot. Rather than fangs, their mouths contain glands that produce acid to break down their food.

The last is the most well known. The Draka soldiers resemble men, six foot or taller. However, unlike men, their heads are akin to those of dragons. They are capable of both breathing and throwing fire. Their skin in grey, brown or green, and scaly. Some have tails. The vast majority have wings. It is these that travellers encounter, and are pillaged by for food and metal. The Draka do farm animals themselves, but not enough to meet their needs. The lava lands, or Rudgar, is not an ideal environment for food production.

The Draka appeared almost a century ago, shortly after the fall of the Twins and the creation of Aeola. No one is sure of their origins.

To most, the Draka are savage beasts, dangerous, ignorant and to be avoided. Though individually this may be ignorant, these people forget the Draka's greatest strength: they are not many, but one. Their hive mind means they see details others miss. And there's a good chance they know more than people think...

[whynotwriting]

Last line tag

Thanks @katonahwrites and several others (if you also tagged me, hopefully you’re in the taglist at the bottom) for tagging me!  Here’s the latest few lines from my side story, The Fractured Mirror!

"But where did he go?" 

"Does it matter? We got the mirror. That's the important thing."

"The Commander doesn't like loose ends."

I don’t think I’ll tag anyone to continue this, but I’ll just tag people who might be interested.  If you want to continue with the last few lines of your current WIP, feel free!

@annieslibrary @ren-c-leyn @pens-swords-stuff @carmenwrites @dc-writes @b-works-074 @concerningwolves @elusiveink @elliswriting @farrradays @hopefulmoonobject @imaghostwriter @kalis-scribbles @leicawri @ownworldresident @quilloftheclouds @radley-writes

[whynotwriting]

Last line tag

Thanks to @watermelons-writings for tagging me! This was difficult, because I'm not writing chronologically at the moment. So I've just picked the last section of a recent scene I've written. Here we go!

Alice woke to a sopping wet canvas and a flower beside her pillow. A single bloom, one she hadn't seen the like of in years. A reminder of happier times.

She lifted it carefully, afraid that at any moment it would vanish, become the illusion she knew it must be. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she inhaled its sweet fragrance, marveled at its vibrant colour. Its petals spread wide, as blue as the lake water a few metres from the tent. The leaves that sprouted from the stem were small and arrow-shaped.

As the minutes passed and the flower remained, her brain started to analyse. Where had it come from? Who would know about this flower? And should she ask Varin?

No, she decided. This was too personal, too delicate. She trusted him, with her life even, but not with her past. Not yet.

She smiled, and tucked the bloom into her pack, inside a message capsule for safekeeping. It would need water, but that was fine. The capsule was watertight.

Drifting off to sleep again, her final thought was of Varin, naive as ever. Maybe she should tell him. Maybe he deserved to know who she really was.

I hope you like it! I couldn't really do just the last line without context, so I went with a full excerpt.

Tagging @annieslibrary, @concerningwolves, @candy687, @elusiveink, @elliswriting, @farrradays, @hellboundheartbreaker, @hopefulmoonobject. Feel free to ignore or not as you please!

[ydontuanswerme]

PS3で直で見るとかわいいんですほんとだよ